Music Director - Department of Dance

Music and Technology Director - Department of Dance

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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Music Director is responsible for administering all musical aspects of the department, which includes providing live musical accompaniment for classes, teaching or co‑teaching courses that relate music and dance, selecting and preparing music for performances, and overseeing all technology/audio equipment housed in the Dance Department. Other responsibilities include serving as a musical consultant and mentor for students and faculty and recruiting and training dance musicians for accompanying wide‑ranging genres of dance classes.

The Department of Dance has a long history of embedding music in the dance curriculum, from including live music in dance technique classes, to offering coursework in western classical and non‑western music theory and literature, to collaborating with composers and musicians in classes and performances. A Music Director position was established in the early 1960s and continues to be a priority as an integral component of the department’s faculty.

Teaching

• Provide musical accompaniment in dance classes; collaborate with dance instructors to offer music that supports and interacts with the intent of the movement language and goals of the class.
• Provide musical accompaniment and support for performances, showings, and other events as needed.
• Serve as guest lecturer/music expert in various required graduate and undergraduate courses.
• Lead relevant professional development workshops, such as music for dance classes, summer workshops and/or classes about music for dance for dance instructors and graduate assistants.
• Serve as a creative advisor on music for choreography and thesis courses.
• Teach students the use of audio playback systems and software for student productions.
• Teach or co‑teach courses such as:
  • Explore Music Through Dance (online gen ed course)
  • Collaborative Performance (COLAB)
  • Individual Study/Creative Investigations
  • Composer‑Choreographer Workshop
  • Music and creative process course

Administration

• Maintain department’s AV equipment in collaboration with KCPA Audio Department.
• Maintain an inventory of department instruments and sound equipment, seeing to instrument care and identifying repair and purchasing needs. This includes overseeing maintenance and tuning of the pianos in the Nevada Studios, maintaining the instrument/piano areas in the Nevada Studios, and maintaining the DRK sound/lighting booth.
• Serve as liaison between choreographers and composers/performers for live performances. Work with the Department Head to facilitate payment for composers/performers.
• Facilitate connections between music student composers and student choreographers.
• Serve as copyright advisor to students and faculty.
• Manage all departmental accompanists:
  • Identify for‑hire professional accompanists and assist with completion of new employee paperwork.
  • Manage appointments/reappointments of accompanists in College of FAA system.
  • Inform Human Resources of any irregular appointments (graduate students, international students, employees with appointments in other departments) and complete paperwork as directed.
  • Train and supervise accompanists, including timesheets and payroll.
  • Schedule substitute accompanists as needed.
  • Schedule accompaniment for admissions entrance auditions, concert auditions, and other events as needed.

Production

• Serve as liaison to audio advisor and student audio designers for departmental concerts.
• Provide sound design and/or audio editing for departmental productions and showings, as well as any requested academic courses. Provide recording support as requested.
• Identify and hire live musicians as requested by choreographers.

Research

• Could include composing and/or performing for departmental productions or other venues, publishing articles in print or online, or recording original works or musical performances.